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CHENG YANQIU (1904-1958), born in Beijing. He shared the honor of being one of the Four Great Dan Actors with Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng.

He began to learn Beijing opera at the age of six. He learned wu sheng from Rong Diexian, hua dan from Chen Tongyun, qigyi from Chen Xiaoyun and daoma dan from Yan Lanqiu. He also took Mei Lanfang as his tutor. He benefited much from Wang Yaoqing's teaching. At the age of eleven he went on state and at the age of twelve he cooperated with Sun Juxian, Liu Hongsheng, Gao Qingkui. Yu Shuyan and others in performing General's Son to Be Executed, A Child Left in the Mulberry Garden. The Pavilion of Royal Monument, etc. which earned favorable comment. He could play various roles.

After he set up a company her performed and was well known for playing parts of qingyi and daoma dan in the Rainbow Pass, the Story of Su San, etc. He also wrote and performed a lot of new operas since the 1920s, such as the Blue Frost Sword, an Emerald Hairpin, Lady Mei, the Dream of the Young Lady, the Unicorn Purse, Yingtai Rejects the Marriage, etc. These operas were favorably received by the audience. There was something unique about his singing, soft and pleasing, firm but gentle, and it deeply affected the audience's emotions. He paid special attention to expressing characters' feeling s and portraying characters vividness. He created many ways of using water sleeve and improved the art of water sleeve of dan performers.

During the war of resistance against Japan, he lived a solitary life as a farmer in the western suburbs of Beijing. In the 1930s, he was president of Beiping Branch of Nanjing Conservatory of Traditional Opera Music and president of Zhonghua Traditional Opera Training School. He toured Europe for research in art in 1932. The countries he visited include France, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.

After the founding of new China, he was appointed vice-president of Chinese Academy of Traditional Opera. The books he wrote included "Collected Works of Cheng Yanqiu" and "Selected Operas Performed by Cheng Yanqiu".